Adria considering new markets

The Slovenian government has taken the initiative of concluding Air Service Agreements with several countries in the Middle East and Central Asia as Adria Airways has shown interest in potentially serving those markets. They include Iraq, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. "The introduction of scheduled flights between Slovenia and these three countries is in the economic interest of all sides involved. Adria is already examining the possibility of adding these markets to its network. It is important that the legal framework and required internal procedures are prepared so the airline can immediately launch flights when it finds that all market conditions have been met", the government said in a statement.

Adria itself has not publicly commented on its future network development but has expressed interest in serving Ukraine. In a statement, the Slovenian carrier hinted at future expansion, "The new features in the winter timetable are just the beginning of changes to Adria's timetable and flight network. Adria Airways remains committed to providing a safe and comfortable service and to guaranteeing passengers the best possible travel experience. It will continue to build up its services and will be adding even more weekly flights in the future, thus offering passengers an even better choice of connections". The airline now offers shorter connecting times in Ljubljana as it begins to shift towards its new strategy of transforming Ljubljana Airport into a transfer hub.

Recently, the government of Turkmenistan and officials from Slovenia expressed interest in establishing direct air links between Ashgabat and Ljubljana in a bid to boost cooperation between the two countries, the Turkmen Foreign Minister said following talks with Slovenia’s Ambassador in October. Furthermore, it has been suggested that Adria is also considering two new destinations in the Middle East, to be launched during the 2017 summer season. So far this year, Adria has suspended flights from Ljubljana to Istanbul and Stockholm and downgraded its Berlin operations to seasonal flights only. Furthermore, it cancelled plans to launch services from the Slovenian capital to Cologne. However, this winter sees the airline boost frequencies on a number of routes.